Whenever we consider the education system in California, one player is always in the spotlight of the discussion: teachers' unions. They are present in classrooms, school board elections, and even the laws that are passed in Sacramento.
While the history of unions is to maintain educators' rights and fairness in the workplace, many parents today are left with the question, Has the power tipped too far? This is a worthwhile conversation, especially as it pertains to the Teachers Union in California, potentially the strongest union in America.
Where Power Comes From
Teachers unions were formed at the very beginning to provide teachers with a voice, a means of negotiating decent wages, moderate class sizes, and the security of their jobs. Such unions have grown to become political heavyweights in California. They not only negotiate contracts, but they also affect almost all areas of the functioning of the public schools.
Collective bargaining enables the unions to negotiate salaries, benefits and tenure protection of the teacher. Those contracts are much more than that. They can determine the size of the classroom limitations, teacher appraisal, and even approach the underperforming personnel in the district. When this power is responsibly exercised by unions, then fairness is achieved. In the case of abuse, schools may find it almost impossible to adapt and innovate or even to hold anyone responsible.
Parents find that district heads are less flexible since union contracts do not allow some decisions to be made, be it the introduction of new programs, paying the best teachers, or promptly handling misconduct. The Teachers Union in California is a body that wields much influence over such rules, which is why it not only shapes school environments, but also the utilization of the public funds.
The Political Machine Inside and Out
When contracts are a sign of union power within the classroom, politics are their power without.
One of the biggest political contributors in the state is the teachers unions. They approve school board members, campaign and lobby both locally and at the state level. The California Federation of Teachers (CFT) and California Teachers Association (CTA) are large and possess committees that are preoccupied with policy-making.
This political domination can be one-sided in such communities as in Santa Clara, where Moms for Liberty are promoting parental rights and educational transparency. Where unions assist in choosing members of the board who subsequently agree with them, parents are justified in raising questions about whether the negotiations are in the best interest of the people.
The result of this political activism and policy making can at times overwhelm parent and community voices. The aim of having a school board representing families may first end up representing the interests of the union.
And though unions tend to project their agenda as being student-centred, parents have witnessed how frequently union-sponsored strikes, classroom sellout, and political advocacy promote adult interests at the expense of kids.
The Teachers Union in California has massive power, but power that lacks accountability will very easily become imbalanced.
Who holds the Unions to Account?
It is at this point that the discussion about transparency starts.
Parents and teachers should have the right to learn about how the dues of the unions are used not only in the negotiations of the contracts, but also in the political affairs. Regrettably, that is lacking in clarity. Most teachers believe in the original mission of the union, but they may not even know how much of their funds is going to political causes or candidates they themselves disagree with.
Contract negotiations should also be accountable. Parents should have a place at the table or at least a transparent window on the deliberations that influence the education of their children. Families are justified in asking questions when the bad actors are insured in those agreements or schools are barred, by such contracts, from rewarding great teachers.
Moms for Liberty has the idea that the sun is the best disinfectant. Public schooling ought to be public as well. Open, transparent and accountable to the families it serves. School boards and the local communities can:
· Publish condensed versions of union contracts on the web, where they will be read by individuals.
· Keep union dues spending in a yearly account.
· Involve parent representatives in the discussion of oversight.
· Empower teachers to raise their issues without any fear of reprisal.
· Create bridges rather than walls between professionals, families and administrators.
· Authentic cooperation starts by making everyone accountable and not only the power.
Conclusion
This is not a special problem when considered in a global context. The other teacher associations of the world are also coping with the same kinds of challenges, such as the National Union For Teachers in the United Kingdom. It had previously been characterized by its influence, but later became part of the National Education Union, in part due to increasingly pressing demands to become modernized and accountable. The lesson? Reform does not diminish a union, but may make it more sensitive to those served.
The opportunity is also the same here in California. Parents, teachers, and communities can collaborate to remake what accountability is about one in which the unions protect teachers and listen to the voices of families.
To learn more, local narratives and to participate in educational advocacy, go to our website. Since parents are always informed makes communities stronger and each student a winner.
